How
people communicate has always fascinated me. As a college student, I walked
door to door in a small town of 500 households for an epidemiology survey
on cancer, and it surprised me that everyone openly shared information about
the food they ate, their daily habits, and their family history. Pollsters
today do not experience the same rate of success.
Then I was fortunate to join the teaching profession when the robotic Dick and Jane were being shooed out the door by the richer language of people like Gwendolyn Brooks, William Saroyan, and Gordon Parks. (Ok, so this dates me!) Later I taught practical math to at-risk students who, at the front and center of small classes, were among the most motivated students I have known and who would become leaders at their jobs or in their communities.
I learned other lessons while working in the hands-on communications department of a small liberal arts college. As editor, then director of publications, I thought it was great to do everything — write, edit, and design publications, collaborate with professors and students, take photographs, interview experts, manage a budget, and even to learn so much from making mistakes!
Because I loved the variety and challenges of that job, I started my own
freelance business in 1995. Now in 2006, I can point potential clients to
this Web site, so gracefully created by Susan Strozier of Pittsboro, NC.
The type of work I have done and why I love my work is shown here. Thank
you for visiting.
Education
M.A., English Literature (concentration in publishing),
UNC-Greensboro
B.A., Biology, Gettysburg College, PA
ALSO:
- Duke University Certificate Program in Nonprofit Management workshops
- - Media Relations and Advocacy for Nonprofits, 1997, Presenter: Florence Gatten
- - Making Coalitions Work, 2004, NC ConNet, Presenter: Lee Raine
- - Keys to Applying for Grants Galore, 2005, Presenter: Toniette Barber
- United Way of North Carolina workshop
- - The Basics of Grantsmanship, 2001
- Family Service of the Piedmont, Inc./Guilford Co. DSS workshops
- - System of Care
- Guilford Technical Community College
- - Online courses in HTML, Frontpage, Dreamweaver
- UNC-Greensboro, 32 hours in studio art and art history
Work
Experience
Rawleigh Edits
Provide freelance writing, editorial, and promotional assistance. Visit
the CLIENTS page to see a list of clients and
projects.
Greensboro News & Record (part-time)
Copyedited supplements at daily newspaper
Family Service of the Piedmont, Inc., Greensboro,
NC
Served client systems and services division at a nonprofit agency that provides
individual and family counseling, education and advocacy for victims of
domestic violence and child abuse, and consumer credit counseling
Greensboro College, Greensboro, NC
Managed publications and media releases at liberal arts college, including
promotion of cultural events in graphic art, theater, and music; lifelong
learning, development, and admissions marketing
Guilford Technical Community College, Jamestown,
NC (part-time)
Taught research-based writing
Grimsley High School, Greensboro, NC
Taught math competency
Charles C. Johnson Middle School, Franklin,
TN
Taught language arts
Membership
- NC Center for Nonprofits
- Conservation Council of North Carolina
- The American Communication Association
- Plain Language Association International